Grace and Glory

by Armentrout, Jennifer L.

  Wait. What?

  “Lies,” Gabriel hissed. “You do not hear the divine Voice.”

  “Believe what you will, but I’m going to kill you tonight.” Lucifer’s eyes briefly closed. “Know that I will mourn you deeply, if only for a few moments.”

  My brows lifted. Moments? He would mourn him for moments? Ouch.

  Gabriel drew back as if slapped. “So be it, Satan.”

  Crimson streaked across Lucifer’s eyes. “Oh, no, you did not just call me that.”

  The archangel flew back, lifting his arms. “I knew you would come to me, child of Michael, this very night.”

  My head snapped his direction as tension crept into my muscles.

  “So, I’ve prepared my own gift for you,” he continued. “It’s a shame, though, that you will have to witness so many of those you care for perish.”

  Movement on the ground drew my gaze to the areas alongside the home. From this distance they were nothing but blobs of different colors and shapes, but I saw enough to know they were demons and there were many.

  “How many?” I asked Zayne.

  “Hundreds,” he answered, looking across to Lucifer. “That’s a lot of demons mad at you.”

  “There will always be demons unhappy with the rules,” he replied. The ever-growing mass continued to bulge out from the house. “Gabriel knew you’d have time to prepare if you learned,” Lucifer answered. “He really did know we were coming tonight. Someone betrayed you.”

  Pressure clamped down on my chest. Someone most definitely did.

  “I cannot help but think of those angel blades,” Zayne commented.

  “Same,” I whispered, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “How many of your legion were you able to wrangle?”

  “Enough,” Lucifer answered.

  “And when are they going to get here?” Zayne asked.

  “Hopefully soon.”

  “Kill the Fallen,” Gabriel ordered. “The nephilim must be alive.”

  “I’m kind of disappointed.” Lucifer pouted. “What about me?”

  There was no answer as a wave of demons burst forward, most on the ground but some in the air. A few looked like imps, but others... Their wings gleamed white in the moonlight.

  “What about us?” Roth announced, stalking out from the wood line. Layla was beside him, her black feathered wings always a shock to see, but not nearly as distracting as the baby dragon perched on his shoulder. I didn’t see the giant kittens.

  I hoped they weren’t eating the Wardens.

  “That’s a whole lot of demons,” Layla said, iron daggers in hand.

  “We got this,” Zayne said, looking at me. “Don’t we?”

  I nodded even as my heart started thumping. “We do.”

  The line of demons advanced, and I started to draw on my grace when Thumper flew off Roth’s shoulder, letting out a squeak of warning—a squeak which turned into a roar so loud it felt like my bones rattled.

  My breath caught as I watched Thumper grow, sprouting legs the size of tree trunks and claws larger than my own hands.

  Zayne grabbed me, hauling me out of the way as those crimson wings unfurled, lengthening to a size triple that of Zayne’s. The tail hit the ground, cracking the top layer of grass and soil wide open.

  Wide eyed, I watched the dragon the size of two tanks stretch its neck out, mouth open in another roar. Sparks flew from his nostrils as the scent of brimstone filled the air.

  Hellions and Nightcrawlers rushed us. They didn’t slow when they spotted Thumper. Instead, they split, veering in two directions.

  Roth’s familiars were having none of that.

  Thumper’s head whipped to the right, mouth snapping open. Fire poured out, hitting the group of demons, incinerating them.

  I stumbled back, bumping into Zayne. “That’s a dragon.”

  Zayne steadied me as Roth chuckled. Thumper caught another demon by its mouth. Bones crunched. “And he’s hungry,” Zayne commented.

  “Very,” Roth agreed.

  “Heads-up.” Layla’s wings lifted. “Incoming.”

  The white kitten that was now the size of a small horse streaked out from the woods, leaping into the air. Landing on a Hellion, Nitro sunk his teeth into the demon’s neck, taking the Hellion to the ground. Thumper lifted, snagging a demon up with him.

  “The imps,” Roth called out as he strode forward, his skin thinning as wings sprouted from his back and horns protruded from the top of his head. “Eat the yummy imps, Thumper.”

  I didn’t even have time to think about that. Golden white spilled down Zayne’s arms and the two sickle blades appeared as a mass of demons reached us.

  “Remember the plan,” Lucifer said. “We need to weaken Gabriel.”

  “Understood,” Zayne said as I nodded.

  Unhooking a dagger, I summoned my grace. The weight of the Sword of Michael formed against my palm as Zayne lopped off the head of a Raver.

  A Hellion raced past the kittens and dragon, grabbing for me, but I dipped under its arm and spun around, slicing the fiery sword through its back. I whirled around as Lucifer shoved his hand through the chest of the Nightcrawler.

  “You done messed up,” Lucifer growled, yanking its heart out. Flames erupted from his palm and then the Nightcrawler.

  Bambi shot out of the mist gathering among the grass, catching an imp and dragging it back to the ground.

  Shooting forward, I kicked out, catching a Raver in the midsection. It stumbled back, mouth open and teeth snapping at air. I shot forward, thrusting the dagger into its hairless chest. Hot blood sprayed my face as I yanked the dagger out. I kept moving forward, getting a little lost in the fight and the pumping adrenaline. Demons fell all around us as Thumper tore through the sky, snatching up imps left and right.

  “He’s going to have a tummy ache,” I said.

  Roth ripped through the neck of a Nightcrawler. “That’s what Pepto is for.”

  I snorted. “You’re going to need a big bottle—”

  Roth lurched for me as fingers tangled in my braid, jerking my head back. I gasped as I suddenly stared up into the young face of some kind of winged demon.

  “Gotcha,” it grunted, wings sweeping down as he lifted up—

  Without warning, the demon’s head just fell off. The grip on my hair relaxed as the demon fell.

  “Got you,” Zayne growled from above.

  “That was hot,” I whispered as Roth grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the way of the demon slamming into the ground. “Thanks.”

  Zayne landed beside me. “Thank me later.”

  I smiled. “Planning on it.”

  “Gross, guys.” Roth launched into the air, joining Layla.

  The trees rattled behind us, as if a hundred birds were taking flight. I turned, seeing the dark shapes of Wardens spilling out into the air while Lucifer’s legion poured out from between the trees, racing forward.

  Zayne grinned, his gaze meeting mine. My smile kicked up a notch as a Warden dropped to the ground.

  A wall of flames went up behind, stretching so high I couldn’t see the trees behind it. Heat blew back, singeing our skin. At first I thought it was Lucifer, but he was ahead of us.

  Then I heard the shouts—the screams—and my heart sank. The Wardens. Dez. Nic. Jordan—

  I cut those thoughts off before I let them take hold. I couldn’t go down that road right now.

  “Bael!” Lucifer shouted, whipping around. “Where are you, you conniving, traitorous—?”

  A ball of flames spun from the corner, nearly catching the black kitten’s back legs. Another ball of flames rippled across the sky. Thumper dived, but wasn’t quick enough. The dragon shrieked as the flames singed his wings.

  Roth spun around. “Familiars!” he shouted. “Return to me. Now!”

>   The familiars turned to shadows as they flew back to Roth, forming beads as they dropped down onto his bare skin. Roaring, Roth turned and shoved his hands through the chest of a nearby demon.

  Spinning around, Zayne scanned the yard. “Where is Teller?”

  “That was him?” I dipped, springing up behind a Raver. I lopped off its head.

  “He was just here.” Zayne kept searching. “I don’t see him.”

  “Did the flames get him?” I asked, shoving the dagger into the chest of an imp.

  Shaking his head, Zayne turned to me. “Pull your grace in,” he ordered. “You’re starting to weaken.” Stalking toward me, he wiped his fingers under my nose. “Pull it in, Trin.”

  I swiped at my face, but Zayne had gotten the blood. I wanted to deny it, but he was right. Pulling on the grace was weakening me. I let it go, cursing as the Sword of Michael collapsed into fiery embers.

  Layla dropped on the ground in a crouch, rising slowly. “Dear God,” she panted. Oily blood spotted her face and hair. “It’s like we haven’t even made a dent.” She looked over her shoulder. “We needed them.” She turned to where Lucifer stood. “We need your backup.”

  Snarling, he ripped the wings off an imp he caught. “They can’t get through.”

  Heart racing, I peered into the mist and bright light, making out thicker, darker shapes ahead.

  This was bad.

  So freaking bad.

  But that didn’t change what we had to do.

  Swallowing hard, I turned to Zayne and stretched up, clamping a hand around the back of his neck. I pulled his head down to mine and kissed him. And it was no chaste kiss. Or tender. Our lips bruised together. Our bodies melded into one another. I drank him up in that kiss, as he did me.

  When our lips parted, he was breathing raggedly as he pressed his forehead to mine. “We just need to get to Gabriel.” He reached down, unhooking my other dagger. “That’s all. We get to him and we end this.”

  I nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  “We’ll back you up,” Layla said as we pulled away. “We’ll keep them off you.”

  “Thank you.” I took the dagger Zayne handed me.

  He turned to Layla, touching her cheek softly. “Be safe.”

  “You, too.” She swept into the sky.

  Cutting through the demons, we caught up to Lucifer.

  Crimson streaked his skin as he looked back at us. “We just need one shot, but we got a Hell of a lot of demons to go through.” His wings were out, tucked back and close to his body. “No matter what, Bael is mine.”

  “You can have him.” Zayne swept a blade through the air, severing a Nightcrawler.

  I thrust my dagger into the chest of a Hellion, and I let my rage take hold then, feeding me strength as my dagger sliced through the neck of another. I didn’t hesitate or pull back when the tips of claws skated down my arms, sending a wave of pain through me. I didn’t stop or look back when I heard Roth shout out a mouthful of curses. The three of us kept moving forward. I kicked off the ground, slamming my dagger in the leg of a winged demon as it swept down to grab Zayne. It fell to its back and then under Lucifer’s boot. I picked up the pace, jumping over a body as it broke apart and grabbing a fistful of Raver’s fur. I yanked his head back as I swung the dagger into the center of its back. The Raver screeched as I let go, his body catching fire.

  Another wall of flames went up, too close to Zayne for comfort. The flame hit Lucifer, causing my heart to stop as he bellowed.

  He staggered back as the fire swept across his body, exposing muscle and tissue. “Now that really pisses me off,” he yelled. His body seemed to already repair itself, but his wings...

  Half of them were gone.

  Panic bubbled in my throat and I fought it down as the wall of fire continued. I followed its path, knowing what I’d see.

  Layla and Roth were now closed off, and it was just the three of us.

  “Give up,” called Gabriel. “You’re not going to win. You lost the first day man sinned. It’s already too late. It’s always been too late.”

  I hated it—hated it so much, because Gabriel...he might be right. I looked out, the ground choked with mist and smoke, and I could see a mass of demons coming forward. A practical army of them left, and it was just three of us.

  Zayne landed beside me as a horrible, sinking realization hit me. I looked down at my dagger, stomach hollowing. I turned to him, my gaze searching out those beautiful blue eyes.

  Zayne’s gaze dropped and then lifted back to mine. Understanding skittered across his face. “No.”

  “I have to.” The back of my throat burned.

  “No, Trin. Absolutely not—”

  My eyes burned. “He can’t use me to open the portal, Zayne. He can’t. I have to end this and I can. If he can’t use me to open the portal—”

  “I don’t give a fuck about the portal.” He shot forward, catching my wrists. “I will not allow you to do this.”

  A crack started in my chest. “I don’t want to, but it’s the only way.”

  “If we leave now—if we run—we aren’t going to win the second round,” Lucifer warned. “It’s either now or never. One way or another.”

  “Shut up,” Zayne snapped, and I was surprised Lucifer said nothing in return. “Forget this. Forget all of this. We run. We keep running and hiding until the whole damn world falls apart.”

  “Do you hear what you’re suggesting?” My eyes widened.

  “I don’t care,” he swore. “I don’t care about any of this. All I care about is you.”

  “You don’t mean that—”

  “The Hell I don’t,” Zayne growled.

  I twisted, not making it very far as Zayne held on to my wrists. My gaze collided with Lucifer’s once more, and the look on his face said it all. It had to be now. There would be no later. Gabriel would capture me. He’d kill Zayne. He’d kill Roth and Layla and anyone else who was still alive. I couldn’t let that happen.

  “I love you, Zayne. I love you with every fiber of my being,” I said, and then nodded at Lucifer.

  He charged forward, slamming into Zayne’s side as I pulled with all my strength, breaking his hold. Zayne and Lucifer hit the ground, and it was...

  It was surreal, like an out-of-body experience. As if it wasn’t even me who stood there, right hand steady as Zayne shouted, as Lucifer held him down, turning his head to the side, away from where I stood in a gesture I wouldn’t have expected from Satan. I felt nothing as I lifted the dagger. Or maybe I was feeling everything and it was too much, overriding my senses. I lifted my eyes, not wanting to see nothing, but all I saw was gray smoke as I—

  A trumpet blared, the sound sudden and loud, seeming to come from all around us. The ground and the very air around us rattled, throwing Lucifer to the side. Zayne popped to his feet, and in a second, his arms swept around me, clamping them to my sides, but I didn’t fight him as I stared up at the sky.

  At stars.

  33

  “Someone is in trouble,” Lucifer sang from where he sat on the ground. “And it’s not meee.”

  Zayne and I looked over at him as he threw his head back, laughing.

  Gabriel flew into the air, appearing above the shifting horde of demons and angels. “No! No!” he shouted. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  The trumpet sounded a third time, and I looked up again. The glimmers of bright lights in the sky were rapidly growing closer.

  “Do you see this?” I breathed.

  “I do.” Zayne held on to me tightly.

  Stars fell out of the sky, one after another.

  That’s what they looked like as they raced toward Earth. Dozens and dozens of them. Angels. Actual battle angels.

  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

  Their wings were bright with grace and
their weapons fiery, golden flames. The demons started to turn, to run, but it was too late as they swept through the horde between us and Gabriel.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” shouted Gabriel once more, rising into the air. “Now? Now You decide to do something?”

  “Someone is about to have a fit,” Zayne remarked.

  Gabriel took out several trees.

  “About to?” I asked.

  A tree fell onto the roof of the house as the ground ahead was lit with heavenly glow.

  “It’s not over,” Lucifer said. “Not yet.”

  He was right.

  “We need to move fast,” Lucifer continued. “I doubt the battle angels are going to hang around. Neither will Gabriel.”

  The specks of bright light surrounding the angels were already disappearing, launching back into the sky.

  “You ready to finish this?” Zayne dipped his head to mine. “The right way?”

  “What I was going to do was the right way in that moment,” I stated, heart slamming against my ribs. “It’s not now.”

  “We’ll talk about this later,” he promised, and I rolled my eyes. “I saw that.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “You rolled your eyes.” He let go of my arms.

  “I did not.” I totally did.

  “We’ll talk about your habitual lying later also.”

  “When you guys are done with your foreplay, let me know,” Lucifer commented, shaking a wing that was slowly repairing itself.

  I didn’t even bother responding to that as we started forward, picking up speed as we raced across the field.

  I didn’t even see the demon until Lucifer launched into the air and came down beside a narrow elm. He yanked a tall demon out from behind it.

  “Hello, Bael.” Lucifer shoved his hand through his—

  My steps stumbled. Lucifer’s hand had gone straight through Bael’s head. His actual head. The face. The skull. Oh my God.